Systems and methods for inspecting pipelines using a robotic imaging system

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for generating and processing images captured while inspecting above-ground pipelines are disclosed. Embodiments may include a robotic crawler or other devices which carry imaging equipment and traverse a target pipe which are configured to capture image data simultaneously from a plurality of angles. Such systems may substantially reduce and in some cases overcome the need to take multiple traversals of a pipeline under inspection. Embodiments may also be directed toward control systems for such devices as well as image processing systems which process the multiple image sets to produce a composite imaging result.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/208,459 filed Dec. 3, 2018 and entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODSFOR INSPECTING PIPELINES USING A ROBOTIC IMAGING SYSTEM.” The presentapplication is also related to co-pending, commonly assigned U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/544,790 filed Aug. 19, 2019 and entitled“SYSTEMS AND METHODS FO INSPECTING PIPELINES USING A ROBOTIC IMAGINGSYSTEM.” The disclosures of both applications are incorporated byreference herein in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to inspection ofabove ground pipelines, and more particularly, to systems and methodsfor obtaining and processing images to inspect a pipeline using apipeline inspection robot.

BACKGROUND

Above ground pipelines develop internal corrosion as well as corrosionunderneath insulation (“CUI”) on the exterior of the pipe. CUI typicallyoccurs due to a moisture buildup on the external surface of insulatedequipment. The corrosion itself is most commonly galvanic, chloride,acidic, or alkaline corrosion. If undetected, the results of CUI canlead to leaks, the eventual shutdown of a pipeline, and in rare cases itmay lead to a safety incident. Accordingly, it is important toperiodically inspect above ground pipelines for the presence ofcorrosion.

Current methods of inspecting above ground pipelines have typicallyentailed the erection of scaffolding, hazardous usage of radiationsources, and/or use of imaging equipment mounted on poles and positionedby hand to inspect and image the pipeline. Moreover, existing inspectionmethods generally require multiple series of images to be acquired tocapture multiple angles of view by performing multiple traversals of thepipeline. These manual methods are labor intensive, time consuming, andcostly to entities inspecting their pipelines.

Previous attempts to improve the inspection process have involved asemi-automated collar system with a vehicle mounted to a top of thepipeline. Resulting imagery from such a system has taken the form of avideo or series of film-type images for a single view of the pipeline.Such imagery is also time and labor intensive to review as it requires auser to examine the entire video and/or long series of images.Additionally, multiple views of the pipeline are still needed in orderto properly inspect the pipeline. Similar to manual techniques, thesecollar systems also require multiple traversals of the pipeline toobtain these views, which also result in multiple sets of data to bereviewed. These systems also suffer from further practical issues whichhinder usage. For example, radiation sources and imaging techniquesemployed with the collar system require a large exclusion zone to beutilized where technicians must not enter while collecting images due tohazardous radiation sources employed in the imaging techniques. Theimaging systems are also heavy, which hinders the operability of therespective vehicle.

SUMMARY

The following summarizes some aspects of the present disclosure toprovide a basic understanding of the discussed technology. This summaryis not an extensive overview of all contemplated features of thedisclosure, and is intended neither to identify key or critical elementsof all aspects of the disclosure nor to delineate the scope of any orall aspects of the disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present someconcepts of one or more aspects of the disclosure in summary form as aprelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

The present application discloses systems and methods for generating andprocessing images captured while inspecting above-ground pipelines.Embodiments may include a robotic crawler or other devices which carryimaging equipment and traverse a target pipe which are configured tocapture image data simultaneously from a plurality of angles. Suchsystems may substantially reduce and in some cases overcome the need totake multiple traversals of a pipeline under inspection. Embodiments mayalso be directed toward control systems for such devices as well asimage processing systems which process the multiple image sets toproduce a composite imaging result.

Embodiments of the present application may include an robotic apparatusfor pipeline imaging and inspection. The apparatus may include one ormore computer processors and at least one memory coupled to the one ormore computer processors. When fully configured, the one or morecomputer processors is configured to: activate one or more transmissionsources and directionally move a pipeline inspection robot;simultaneously capture images from two or more azimuths; and deactivatethe one or more transmission sources and stop the directional movementof the robot.

In yet another embodiment, a method of operation for a pipelineinspection robot is provided. The method may include one or more of:beginning a scan by activating one or more transmission sources andtriggering directional movement of the robot; acquiring image data bysimultaneously capturing images from two or more azimuths andcontrolling speed of the directional movement; and stopping the scan bydeactivating the one or more transmission sources and stopping thedirectional movement of the robot.

Another embodiment may be characterized as a computer-readable storagemedium having instructions recorded thereon that, when executed by oneor more computer processor, cause the one or more computer processorsto: begin a scan by activating one or more transmission sources andtriggering directional movement of a pipeline inspection robot; acquireimage data by simultaneously capturing images from two or more azimuthsand controlling speed of the directional movement; and stop the scan bydeactivating the one or more transmission sources and stopping thedirectional movement of the robot.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technicaladvantages of the present invention in order that the detaileddescription of the invention that follows may be better understood.Additional features and advantages of the invention will be describedhereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. Itshould be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conceptionand specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis formodifying or designing other structures for carrying out the samepurposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by thoseskilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart fromthe spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appendedclaims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic ofthe invention, both as to its organization and method of operation,together with further objects and advantages will be better understoodfrom the following description when considered in connection with theaccompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, thateach of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration anddescription only and is not intended as a definition of the limits ofthe present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the presentdisclosure may be realized by reference to the following drawings. Inthe appended figures, similar components or features may have the samereference label. Further, various components of the same type may bedistinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a secondlabel that distinguishes among the similar components. If just the firstreference label is used in the specification, the description isapplicable to any one of the similar components having the same firstreference label irrespective of the second reference label.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating details of a pipeline inspectionrobot and remote control equipment according to some embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating example blocks of a method ofoperation for a pipeline inspection robot according to some embodimentsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a pipeline inspection robot accordingto some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3B is another perspective view of a pipeline inspection robotaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic of internal component of a data interface unit ofa pipeline inspection robot according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic of external components of a data interface unit ofa pipeline inspection robot according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic of additional external components of a datainterface unit of a pipeline inspection robot according to someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a cable connection between remotecontrol equipment and a pipeline inspection robot according to someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an arrangement of remote controlequipment connected to a pipeline inspection robot according to someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a screenshot illustrating user interface components forcontrolling movement of a pipeline inspection robot according to someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a screenshot illustrating user interface components forcontrolling acquisition of image data by a pipeline inspection robotaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a screenshot illustrating display of a static image formed ofimage data acquired by a pipeline inspection robot according to someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a screenshot illustrating user interface components forperforming automated scan by a pipeline inspection robot according tosome embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a screenshot illustrating user interface controls forprocessing of a static image formed of image data acquired by a pipelineinspection robot according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 14 is a screenshot illustrating user interface controls foradditional processing of a static image formed of image data acquired bya pipeline inspection robot according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 15 is a screenshot illustrating application of a filter to a staticimage formed of image data acquired by a pipeline inspection robotaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 16 is a screenshot illustrating user interface controls for furtherprocessing of a static image formed of image data acquired by a pipelineinspection robot according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 17 is a screenshot illustrating user interface controls foranalyzing a static image formed of image data acquired by a pipelineinspection robot according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below, in connection with theappended drawings, is intended as a description of various possibleconfigurations and is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.Rather, the detailed description includes specific details for thepurpose of providing a thorough understanding of the inventive subjectmatter. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that thesespecific details are not required in every case and that, in someinstances, well-known structures and components are shown in blockdiagram form for clarity of presentation.

This disclosure relates generally to inspection of above groundpipelines. A pipeline inspection robot is disclosed that employs one ormore transmission sources (e.g., X-ray tubes) with one or more detectors(e.g., linear detectors) to capture images of a pipeline. Improvementsand advantages exhibited by the pipeline inspection robot include a lessdangerous radiation source in the form of one or more X-ray tubes. Forexample, some embodiments may use a pair of 12 Watt X-ray tubes, butother embodiments may employ a different number or wattage X-tubes(e.g., a single 900 W X-ray tube). The exclusion zone may thus bereduced to less than two feet from the pipeline inspection robot.Additional improvements and advantages result by employing X-ray tubesand linear detectors to capture images of the pipeline from multipleviews (e.g., azimuths) in a single traversal. The resulting imagery mayfurther be converted to a static image for processing and analysis.

Referring to FIG. 1, a pipeline inspection robot 100 and remote controlequipment 150 have various components. For example, the pipelineinspection robot 100 may have one or more motors 102, such as motorsconnected to drive tracks that move the robot to traverse the pipeline.Alternatively or additionally, the motors may drive other types oftraversal mechanisms, such as wheels, hands, feet, claws, teeth,propeller, wing, winch, fin or any other type of mechanism that can beused to motivate traversal of a horizontal or non-horizontal pipeline.Motors 102 may also include one or more of encoders or resolvers toprovide feedback to control equipment. Additionally, the pipelineinspection robot may have one or more imaging transmission sources 104(e.g., X-ray tubes) and one or more detectors 106, such as lineardetectors (collectively referred to as imaging components). Further, thepipeline inspection robot may have a control box 108.

Control box 108 of pipeline inspection robot 100 may have variouscomponents, such as power supply circuitry 110 and power cleaningcircuitry 112 to supply power to other components. Power supplycircuitry may be connected to an external power or a generator source.Inclinometer 114 may be included to sense and correct the relativeplacement of the robot on the pipeline in such a way that it stays ontop of the pipeline and levels, orients, and/or centers the robotautomatically throughout traversal of the pipeline. Motor controller 116may operate the motors 102 according to input from the inclinometer andother input from an operator that determines a speed and direction oftravel for the robot to both drive the robot and to make orientationcorrections to the robot. It is appreciated that the orientation andlevel of the robot may be desired to be maintained in as much of aconstant position as possible, such maintenance is better for uniformimaging and for the safety of the robot itself. Internal communicationcircuitry 118 may relay signals between the components of the controlbox 108. A video encoder 120 may be provided with one or more camerasthat may be disposed to capture images in an inspection area in avicinity of the robot. The video encoder 120 may perform somepreprocessing of the captured images to encode one or more videostreams. Images captured at detectors 106 may be processed and/orencoded by separate processing circuitry within robot 100 or such datamay also be processed within video encoder 120. It is appreciated thatthe video encoder is generally utilized when the image capture devicesare in video format and the use of digital still cameras would generallyobviate the need for encoder 120. Alternatively, imaging data capturedat detectors 106 may be remotely processed as discussed in more detailbelow wither with control box 108 or at a remote station. Externalcommunication circuitry 122 may provide wired or wireless communicationwith remote control equipment 150.

Components of remote control equipment 150 may include a user interface152 and image data storage 154. In turn, user interface 152 may have acontrol interface 156 for controlling movement of the robot, and animage acquisition interface 158 that controls acquisition of image data162 acquired by the robot, display of the image data 162 in a scrollingfashion, and conversion of the acquired image data into a static image,such as a Digital Imaging and Communication in Non-DestructiveEvaluation (DICONDE) static image 164. Additionally, user interface 152may include components 160 for processing and/or analyzing the staticimage. The illustrated interfaces comprise custom designed robot controlsoftware and image acquisition and display software. The robot controlsoftware using feedback from the motor encoders or resolvers, axleencoders and inclinometer controls speed and position of the robot onthe pipeline and precisely matches the speed of the robot with theacquisition speed of a linear detector. It may also precisely indexdistance if a field array is used.

Additional details regarding the robot 100 and remote control equipment150 are provided below with respect to certain embodiments describedwith reference to FIGS. 3-18. It is also appreciated that while variousaspects are illustrated as separate functional blocks, each of theseaspects may utilize either separate or combined computing resources suchas processors, memories, etc. Still further details regarding mechanicaland electro mechanical aspects of the robot 100 may be found in U.S.Pat. App. No. 16/208,466, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INSPECTINGPIPELINES USING A PIPELINE INSPECTION ROBOT,” filed Dec. 3, 2018 by theApplicant. The disclosure of this application is incorporated byreference herein in its entirety for any and all purposes.

Turning now to FIG. 2, a method of operation for a pipeline inspectionrobot begins at block 200. At block 200, the method includes beginning ascan by activating one or more transmission sources (e.g., X-ray tubes)and triggering directional movement of the robot. The activation of theX-ray tubes and triggering of directional movement may occur in responseto one or more user interface inputs as described above.

At block 202, the method includes acquiring image data by capturingimages from two or more azimuths. In some embodiments, a user mayreceive real-time image capture results which are transmitted betweencontrol box 150 and remote control 154. Further, a user may control thespeed of the directional movement of the robot during a capture phase.The speed may be controlled automatically, or based on user interfaceinputs under control of a skilled operator contemporaneously viewing thedisplayed image capture results. For example, a user may determine howmany milliseconds per line the detector captures, and then the softwarecontrols the speed of the robot accordingly. The image capture resultsmay be displayed in a scrolling fashion to permit the operator toobserve the contrast of the acquired image data. Accordingly, theoperator is enabled to adjust the speed based on the observed contrastto obtain a desired level of contrast in the image data.

At block 204, the method includes stopping the scan by deactivating theone or more transmission sources and stopping the directional movementof the robot. The deactivation of the one or more transmission sourcesand stopping of the directional movement of the robot may occur inresponse to one or more user interface inputs as described above.

At block 206, with the image data acquired, the method may furtherinclude converting the acquired image data to a static image. Theconverting of the acquired image data to a static image may occur inresponse to one or more user interface inputs as described above. Insome embodiments, a single user interface input may trigger thedeactivating of the transmission sources, the stopping of the robot, andthe conversion of the image data to a static image. It is alsoenvisioned that the static image may be a DICONDE static image. Afterblock 206, processing may end. Alternatively, processing may return toan earlier point in the process, such as block 200, to begin inspectionof another pipeline section. Moreover, processing may pause whiletransitioning between segments of a pipeline (e.g., when crossing over apipeline support structure).

At block 208, the method may include processing and/or analyzing thestatic image. For example, processing the static image may includeadjusting brightness and/or contrast of the static image, inverting,rotating, and/or filtering the static image, choosing measurement unitsfor the static image, and/or annotating the static image. Additionallyor alternatively, analyzing the static image may include measuring greyscale levels across a line profile of the static image and/or measuringan area of the static image. The processing and/or analyzing of thestatic image may occur in response to one or more user interface inputsas described above. After block 206, processing may end. Alternatively,processing may return to an earlier point in the process, such as block200, to begin inspection of another pipeline section.

Turning now to FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B and referring generally thereto, anembodiment of a pipeline inspection robot may be configured with tracks305 for traversing pipeline 304. In the illustrated embodiment, each ofthe tracks 305 may have an independent motor 306 to control speed anddirection of the individual track 305. A pair of axle position encoders302 may provide an axle angle data to a controller inside controlbox/housing compartment 300, which individually controls motors 306 andmay function to automatically level and/or center the robot on top ofthe pipeline 304.

In addition to motion control hardware and power supplies and otheraspects described with respect to FIG. 1, control box 300 may house oneor more X-ray tubes, such as a pair of 60 kV 12 W X-ray tubes. Thesetubes serve as radiation sources 310, as do additional radiation sources310 provided on a downwardly extended member 312. Together, theseradiation sources 310 produce X-ray beams 308 along more than oneazimuth. For example, the sources 310 are arranged so that the beams 308are directed along tangents to a circle that resides inside theinsulation and/or wall of the pipeline 304. A pair of linear detectors308 are arranged on perpendicular members that extend down beside andunderneath the pipeline 304 to receive the radiation from the beams, andeach sensor array of each detector is divided into two sensor arraysections 314 and 316 that produce separate imaging streams so that fourimages are captured contemporaneously. In the illustrated embodiment,the linear detector was selected which has an 800 micron pixel pitch inorder to obtain sufficient resolution and sensitivity for the currentembodiment, however other types of detectors may be utilized whichprovide performance suitable for the needs of the particular project.Each image stream provides a side view of a quadrant of the insulatedpipeline 304. Although four beams, four azimuths, and four arraysections are shown, it should be understood that other embodiments mayhave more or less (e.g., 2) azimuths, beams, and array sectionsdepending on particular inspection needs.

It is noted that embodiments may have one or more of the perpendicularmembers on which the linear detectors are arranged may quickly detachfrom and reattach to the robot to permit traversal of a support memberof the pipeline 304 as discussed above. For example, the member thatsupports the linear detector arranged beneath the pipeline may bereattachably detachable so that a pipeline support member may be clearedduring traversal of the robot or so that the robot may be removed fromthe pipeline 304. Alternatively or additionally, the member that extendsdown beside the pipeline may detachably detach form the robot, whichaccomplishes removal of both detectors. In alternative embodiments,detectors 308 and sources 310 may be configured such that the robot maytraverse support members without stopping the inspection scanning.

FIG. 4 provides a schematic of some of the internal components,specifically PCB interconnect board 400A, inclinometer 400B, and motorcontrollers 400C-400D, of data interface unit 402, which may correspondto a part of control box 100 (see FIG. 1). It is appreciated that theillustrated components may be separated or combined with thefunctionality of other control/processing components. For example, asingle processing unit may be provided which handles all of the controlprocessing and interconnection of the component parts of the robot. Thearrangement of these components corresponds to the arrangement ofexternal components shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. For example, one rear end ofthe data interface unit has ports for an Ethernet umbilical 602, a trackrear left control cable 604, a track rear right control cable 606, anencoder rear signal line 608, a camera rear signal line 610, and a DCpower input 612. Additionally, an front end of the data interface unithas ports for a detector data and power connection 614, track front leftcontrol cable 616, a track front right control cable 618, an encoderfront signal line 620, and a camera front signal line 622. A cablebundle 700 (see FIG. 7) provides signal exchange between the robot and avehicle 800 (see FIG. 8) housing remote control equipment, such as arobot movement control screen and an image acquisition screen. It isenvisioned that other embodiments may have wireless communicationbetween the data interface unit and the remote control equipment.Further, one or more power sources may be located onboard the robot tofurther facilitate wireless use.

Turning to FIG. 9, user interface components for controlling movement ofa pipeline inspection robot may have one or more display regions 1000 todisplay video streams of the inspection area and controls 1002 forturning the streams and/or corresponding cameras on and off. Thesedisplay areas/cameras may be oriented in a plurality of directions. Inthe illustrated embodiment a front and rear view are shown. It isappreciated that other views and cameras may be available, e.g. lookingdirectionally left, right, and downward at different points on therobot. Another control 1004 governs forward or reverse direction oftravel of the robot, while control 1006 permits the operator to recenteran axle of the robot. Controls 108 permit the operator to start and stopthe movement of the robot, while additional controls 1010 allow theoperator to control speed of the robot, check status of the robot,configure manual inputs, and/or configure an automated mode that allowsthe operator to control the robot from a mobile device. Display regions1012 provide data to the operator, such as distance travelled, crawlerangle, and axle steering angles. It is appreciated that any additionalcontrols to implement the functionality described herein may also beprovided. For example, the cameras described above may be useful to anoperator to help move the robot and maintain the spatial orientation ofthe robot in order to capture effective imaging data. In someembodiments such assistance to a user may be provided with other typesof sensor data (e.g. electromagnetic imaging such as IR, Radar, and thelike, ultrasound, etc.). These sensor-based assistance measures mayutilize processing circuitry discussed above and provide feedbacksignals to steer the robot automatically. Additionally, andalternatively, the feedback may be provided to a user interface in amanner that allows a user to monitor conditions and data from saidsensors. It is further appreciated that each of these methods may beutilized individually or in combination to facilitate the functionalityof the robot.

Turning now to FIG. 10, user interface components for controlling imagedata acquisition by the robot include inputs for imaging parameters,scanning details, calibration information, and scrolling displayconfiguration. Display regions 1102 and 1104 provide a live energy lineand a waterfall plot. In scrolling mode, the image is displayed as it isacquired. Once the acquisition is complete, the image is displayed inthe image viewer window 1200 (see FIG. 11).

Turning now to FIG. 12, an alternative or additional user interface maybe provided to assist in the control of the image capture devices. Ascrolling display region 1300 provides a scrolling display of the imagedata as it is acquired. Detector calibration control 1302 may be used tocalibrate the detectors, and a window/level control 1304 may be used toadjust brightness and contrast of the images (which may includeadjusting the speed of the robot to allow for more or less exposure on aparticular area of pipe). Detector settings may be observed andcontrolled by component 1306, and a scan may be started or stopped bycontrols 1308. In the detector settings window a user may change varioussettings to optimize the system. For example, a user may change PixelBinning settings to combine pixels together which will increase signalbut decrease resolution. Lines per second settings allows a user tocontrol the speed of acquisition. RCX beginning position and Endposition settings allows a user to choose a section of detector to use.Control 1310 may specify a length of the scan, which may cause the scanto end automatically once the specified length of traversal iscompleted.

Turning now to FIGS. 13-16 and referring generally thereto, the userinterface may have various controls for displaying and processing astatic image after the image data is acquired. In the illustratedembodiments, the static image is a 2D image that may have differenttools and filters applied to change the way the image is viewed and/ororiented without changing the basic characteristics of the image. Insome instances the image may be viewed in negative or positive modes.For example, under an appearance tab, various controls 1400 enable auser to window/level, invert, rotate, and adjust the image forpresentation. A user may also perform a spatial calibration to measureindications in the image. Grayscale intensity readings in differentregions may also allow a user to calculate density differences.Additionally, under an image processing tab, various controls 1500enable a user to apply various filters to the image, such as an embossfilter, as shown in FIG. 16. Also, under an annotation tab, variouscontrols 1700 enable a user to choose measurement units and annotate theimage. As shown in FIG. 16 areas of higher density (the lighter areas)which are the lead numbers and image quality indicators and areas oflower density (the dark areas) indicating pitting in the pipe wall. Theevenly spaced lighter lines are the overlapped seams in the spiralwrapped insulation jacketing. The images provided herein are of spiralwrapped insulated pipe and the dark areas displayed indicate pitting inthe pipe wall, the darker the area the more wall loss there is. Theperpendicular lighter bands at regular intervals are the overlappedseams in the insulation wrapping. The plot in FIG. 17 allows the user tomeasure grayscale levels along the line giving the user to determine theamount of wall loss.

Referring finally to FIG. 18, the user interface may also have variouscontrols 1800 under an analysis tab that enable a user to analyze theimage. For example, the user may generate a plot 1802 of greyscalelevels along a profile line 1804. Alternatively or additionally, an areameasurement tool may enable the user to measure an area of the image.

Those of skill in the art would understand that information and signalsmay be represented using any of a variety of different technologies andtechniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information,signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout theabove description may be represented by voltages, currents,electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields orparticles, or any combination thereof

The functional blocks and modules described herein (e.g., the functionalblocks and modules in FIGS. 1 and 2) may comprise processors,electronics devices, hardware devices, electronics components, logicalcircuits, memories, software codes, firmware codes, etc., or anycombination thereof.

Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrativelogical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described inconnection with the disclosure herein may be implemented as electronichardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearlyillustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, variousillustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have beendescribed above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether suchfunctionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon theparticular application and design constraints imposed on the overallsystem. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality invarying ways for each particular application, but such implementationdecisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from thescope of the present disclosure. Skilled artisans will also readilyrecognize that the order or combination of components, methods, orinteractions that are described herein are merely examples and that thecomponents, methods, or interactions of the various aspects of thepresent disclosure may be combined or performed in ways other than thoseillustrated and described herein.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits describedin connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performedwith a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmablegate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate ortransistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combinationthereof designed to perform the functions described herein. Ageneral-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in thealternative, the processor may be any conventional processor,controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one ormore microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with thedisclosure herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a softwaremodule executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. Asoftware module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory,EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, aCD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Anexemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that theprocessor can read information from, and write information to, thestorage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integralto the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in anASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, theprocessor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in auser terminal.

In one or more exemplary designs, the functions described may beimplemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof.If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on ortransmitted over as one or more instructions or code on acomputer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computerstorage media and communication media including any medium thatfacilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another.Computer-readable storage media may be any available media that can beaccessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way ofexample, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can compriseRAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic diskstorage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that canbe used to carry or store desired program code means in the form ofinstructions or data structures and that can be accessed by ageneral-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose orspecial-purpose processor. Also, a connection may be properly termed acomputer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmittedfrom a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable,fiber optic cable, twisted pair, or digital subscriber line (DSL), thenthe coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, or DSL, are includedin the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, includescompact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc(DVD), hard disk, solid state disk, and blu-ray disc where disks usuallyreproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically withlasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within thescope of computer-readable media.

As used herein, including in the claims, the term “and/or,” when used ina list of two or more items, means that any one of the listed items canbe employed by itself, or any combination of two or more of the listeditems can be employed. For example, if a composition is described ascontaining components A, B, and/or C, the composition can contain Aalone; B alone; C alone; A and B in combination; A and C in combination;B and C in combination; or A, B, and C in combination. Also, as usedherein, including in the claims, “or” as used in a list of itemsprefaced by “at least one of” indicates a disjunctive list such that,for example, a list of “at least one of A, B, or C” means A or B or C orAB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C) or any of these in anycombination thereof.

The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable anyperson skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Variousmodifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may beapplied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scopeof the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited tothe examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded thewidest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosedherein.

Although embodiments of the present application and its advantages havebeen described in detail, it should be understood that various changes,substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to belimited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine,manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps describedin the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readilyappreciate from the disclosure of the present invention, processes,machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps,presently existing or later to be developed that perform substantiallythe same function or achieve substantially the same result as thecorresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according tothe present invention. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended toinclude within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture,compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps. Moreover, the scope ofthe present application is not intended to be limited to the particularembodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter,means, methods and steps described in the specification.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of operation for a pipelineinspection robot and generating inspection images, the methodcomprising: beginning a scan using control commands from one or morecontrol processors of the inspection robot, said commands activating oneor more imaging transmission sources and triggering directional movementof the robot to traverse the pipeline; acquiring image data bysimultaneously capturing images from two or more azimuths as the robottraverses the pipeline, said two or more azimuths including a transverseazimuth and a perpendicular azimuth with respect to the robot andwherein the images are captured from two or more azimuths using one ormore linear detectors; stopping the scan by deactivating the one or moretransmission sources and stopping the directional movement of the robot;and converting the acquired image data into a single static imagecorresponding data acquired over a linear length of pipeline.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: processing the static image by atleast one of: adjusting at least one of brightness or contrast of thestatic image; inverting the static image; rotating the static image;filtering the static image; choosing measurement units for the staticimage; or annotating the static image.
 3. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: analyzing the static image by at least one of: measuringgrey scale levels across a line profile of the static image; ormeasuring an area of the static image.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereinthe static image is a Digital Imaging and Communication inNon-Destructive Evaluation (DICONDE) static image.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the robot is configured to preprocess acquired imagedata prior to exporting the data to a remote storage location.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the acquiring image data and the controllingspeed is performed while displaying image capture results.
 7. The methodof claim 6, wherein the displaying image capture results is performed ina scrolling fashion.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or moretransmission sources correspond to one or more X-Ray tubes.
 9. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the image data is acquired using one or morelinear detectors.
 10. An apparatus for operation of a pipelineinspection robot and generating inspection images, comprising: means forbeginning a scan using control commands to control an inspection robot,said commands activating one or more imaging transmission sources andtriggering directional movement of the robot to traverse the pipeline;means for acquiring image data by simultaneously capturing images fromtwo or more azimuths as the robot traverses the pipeline, said two ormore azimuths including a transverse azimuth and a perpendicular azimuthwith respect to the inspection robot wherein the means for acquiringimage data from two or more azimuths includes one or more lineardetectors; means for stopping the scan by deactivating the one or moretransmission sources and stopping the directional movement of the robot;and means for converting the acquired image data to a static image. 11.The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising: means for processing thestatic image.
 12. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising: meansfor analyzing the static image.
 13. The apparatus of claim 10, furthercomprising: means for preprocessing acquired image data prior toexporting the data to a remote storage location.
 14. The apparatus ofclaim 10, further comprising: means for displaying image capture resultswhile acquiring the image data and controlling the speed.
 15. Theapparatus of claim 14, wherein the means for displaying image captureresults includes means for displaying the image capture results in ascrolling fashion.
 16. An apparatus comprising: one or more computerprocessors; and at least one memory coupled to the one or more computerprocessors, wherein the one or more computer processors is configuredto: activate one or more imaging transmission sources and directionallymove a pipeline inspection robot to cause the robot to traverse thepipeline; simultaneously capture images from two or more azimuths as thepipeline inspection robot traverses the pipeline, said two or moreazimuths including a transverse azimuth and a perpendicular azimuth withrespect to the pipeline inspection robot, wherein the images arecaptured from two or more azimuths using one or more linear detectors;process the captured images for transmission to a remote processor; anddeactivate the one or more transmission sources and stop the directionalmovement of the robot.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the one ormore computer processors is further configured to: generate a video feedof an inspection area.
 18. A non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium having instructions recorded thereon that, when executed by oneor more computer processor, cause the one or more computer processorsto: begin a scan by activating one or more transmission sources andtriggering directional movement of a pipeline inspection robot; acquireimage data by simultaneously capturing images from two or more azimuthsand controlling speed of the directional movement, wherein the imagesare captured from two or more azimuths using one or more lineardetectors; stop the scan by deactivating the one or more transmissionsources and stopping the directional movement of the robot; and convertthe acquired image data to a static image.
 19. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the instructionsfurther cause the one or more computer processors to: process the staticimage by at least one of: adjusting at least one of brightness orcontrast of the static image; inverting the static image; rotating thestatic image; filtering the static image; choosing measurement units forthe static image; or annotating the static image.
 20. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the instructionsfurther cause the one or more computer processors to: analyze the staticimage by at least one of: measuring grey scale levels across a lineprofile of the static image; or measuring an area of the static image.21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18,wherein the instructions further cause the one or more computerprocessors to display a video feed of an inspection area.
 22. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein theinstructions further cause the one or more computer processors todisplay image capture results.
 23. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of claim 22, wherein the instructions further cause theone or more computer processors to display the image capture results ina scrolling fashion.